Method of forming spiral conveyers



Dec. 10, 1929. o. N. GRED LL 1,738,994

METHOD OF FORMING SPIRAL CONVEYERS Filed Feb. 17, 1927 INVENTOR 0770 /V. firede/A A TTORNE Y l atented Dec. 10, 1929 OTTO IN. GREDELL, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI METHOD OF FORMING- SPIRALSCONVEYERS Application filed. February 17, 1927. I Serial No. 169,043.

My invention relates to a method of and apparatus for producing spiral conveyers and has for its principal object to produce a spiral of desired quality at a much lower cost m and ease of manufacture than by present methods known in the art.

My method contemplates the forming of flat rings from sheet metal, slitting the rings radially, presenting opposite slitted edges of m the complementary rings to each other and securing them together and drawing the ribbon constituted of the connected rings along a shaft or form to produce a true spiral, the planes of the faces of which are at all points it throughout the length of the spiral at right an les to its axis.

eretofore spirals have been formed from disks or rin s but the individual rings were stamped to 'orm each a. section of the spiral, an and the sections assembled one after another on the shaft after which the adjoining ends were riveted together. However, this is a troublesome process requiring much time and does not tend to provide a true continuous 2 spiral with even flights. Spirals have also been drawn from continuous strips of metal but spirals thus drawn lack desirable qualities since the outer edge of the spiral must be drawn out much longer than the inner edge W resulting in a feathery outer edge, or if a strip of such thickness is used that the desired outer edge may be produced, the inner edge of the spiral is extremely heavy.

lln employmg'my invention I have been able to produce a spiral conveyer in a way to overcome these difliculties' and to provide improveddetails of structure, as will be described with references to the accompanying drawings wherein: Fig. 1 is a view of a metal ring such as those from which a spiral of my design is constructed.

M and others in spaced relation.

Fig. 3 is aside view of a machine in process ofproducing a spiral by my metho Fig. 4 is a view illustrating a completed spiral.

Fig. 5 is a" cross section of a spiral conveyer on the line55, Fig.4.

Fig. 6 isa detail view of the spiral draw .ingghead as shown in Fig. 3.

. eferring more in detail to the drawings: 1 designates a ring out from sheet metal and having an axial opening 2 adapted to the diameter of the shaft of the spiral conveyer of which the ring is to be a part and having a slit 3 provided preferably by shear-' mg.

The circumference of the opening 2 is preferably equal to the length of the inside edge of a flight of the spiral in its contact with the shaft, and the processof formation of the spiral will not change the radial dimension of the ring.

The ring is provided of such form and dimensions that its thickness at each inner and outer edge is substantially the desired thickness of the spiral.

The adjacent ends of a sheared ring are spaced as'at 4 in Fig. 2, and their planes are displaced as at 5 suliiciently to permit the complementary ends of adjacent rings to be welded together as at 6 to form a ribbon of sufficient number of rings to provide a spiral of the desired length.

A shaft or mandrel 8 is provided and the rings so assembled in ribbon form are slipped thereon, the free end of the first ring being secured by a flanged bolt 9 to the shaft, the bolt extending radially of the shaft The shaft is positioned in a lathe-like machine 10 between centers 11 and 12, the center 12 being the rotating head of the-machine and in driving connection with the shaft and is provided with a face plate 14 which through the arm 15 rotates the shaft 8 as in ordinary lathe practice. The machine 10 is provided with a traveling carriage 16 carrying a drawing or die head 17, t e carriage being engaged with and propelled by the rotation of a threaded shaft 18 through the gearing 19 at a speed proportionate to the speed of rotation of the shaft 8 for the suitable functioning of the elements of the head as will now be described.

A shaft 20 is positioned longitudinally of .the machine below the threaded shaft and rotationally actuated by the caring 19 and provided with a keyway 21. lidab le on the f. shaft 27 mounted in bearings 28 and 29 supshaft is a bevel gear 22, keyed to the shaft the bevel gear being carried by the-carriage and in mesh with a bevel gear 23 on a counter shaft 24. On the countershaft is a spur gear 25 driving the driven gear 26 on a feed roller p to form the spiral,

The shaping cones are mounted in slidable blocks 36 and 37 actuatable to adjust the pitch 20 of the spiral.

, In operating the elements described to produce the result'desired, the carri e is so positioned that the feed-rolls and t e shaping cones may be engaged with the ring ribbon 2 adjacent the point of attachment of the ring with the shaft. The shaft is caused to rotate and the carriage to travel at corresponding speeds,-the feed rolls as supported by the carriage extending the ring ribbon along the shaft and thus establishing the pitch of the spiral. At the same time the shaping cones impress upon the sections of ribbon theircharacteristic influence which confers upon said sections the molded .form and nature whereby the spiral produced persists in the conferred spiral form.

' I particularly call attent1on to the function of my described elements, arrangement and process for establishing the said spiral ribbon in a relation of 90 degrees to the shaft, that is, with any ,cross section of the spiral perpendicular to an intersectedtangent of the shaft and coincident with an extended diameter of the shaft and therefore radial thereto as shown in Fig. 5.

. What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A method of producing a spiral of slitted rings including welding the opposite ends of complementary slit rings together to form a continuous ribbon having continuous plane faces and passing the ribbon through a die to confer the pitch of the spiral.

2. A method of producing a spiral of slitted rings including welding the opposite slitted ends of complementary rings together to form a continuous ribbon' and passing the ribbon through forming rolls to mold the material of theribbon into spiral condition.

3. A method of producing a spiral conveyer of slitted rings includingsecuring the opposite ends of complementary slit rings together to form a continuous helical ribbon, sleeving the ribbon on a shaft and passing the ribbon through forming rolls for extending the ribbon into desired spiral position.

4. A method of producing a spiral conveyer of a continuous helical ribbon, comprising fixing a free end of the ribbon to a shaft, extending the ribbon along the shaft and coincidentally passing the ribbon through shaping rolls for pressing the portions of the ribbon into permanent condition conformable to the predetermined position of said portions in the spiral.

5. A method of producing a spiral conveyer of a continuous helical ribbon, comprising sleeving the ribbon on a shaft, fixing an end of the ribbon to the shaft, rotating the shaft to pass the ribbon through a moving die to form a spiral about the shaft, and applying pressure to bend the ribbon portion into permanent condition.

6. A method of producing a spiral conveyer comprising sleeving a helical ribbon on a shaft, fixing an end of the ribbon to the shaft, and rotating the shaft to pass the ribbon through rolls traveling longitudinally of the shaft proportionally to the rotation of the shaft to confer the pitch. of the spiral.

7. The method of extending a spiral element along a shaft, comprising fixing an end of the element to the shaft and rotating the shaft topass the element through feeding rolls, traveling longitudinally of the shaft at a rate proportional to the rotation of the shaft to space the flights of the spiral.

8. The method of extending a spiral element along a shaft,pcomprising fixing an end of the element to the shaft and rotating the shaft to pass the element through feeding rolls traveling longitudinally of the shaft at a rate proportional to the rotation of the shaft to space the fli hts of the spiral, and rotating the feeding ro ls.

9. The method of bending portions of a helical element into permanent condition for constituting flights of a spiralcomprising rotating the element, moving successive portions of flights of the element to predetermined pitch position and passing said portions through idling shaping rolls to press said portions into permanent condition.

10. The method of producing a spiral conveyer from a continuous ribbon, comprising sleeving the ribbon on a shaft, fixin an end of the ribbon to the shaft, rotating t e shaft to pass the ribbon through shaping rolls and moving the shaping rolls longitudinally of tlfie fshaft proportionally to the rotation of the s a t.

. 11. The method of settin a helically formed element having close y positioned flights in a predetermined spiral position, comprising sleeving the element on a shaft, fixing an end of the element to the shaft, rotating the shaft to pass the element through feeding rolls, moving the feeding rolls longltudmally of the shaft to space the flights,

rotating" the feeding rolls to permit passage of the element therethrough while retaining portions of the element in established position, and passing the element through idling shaping rolls to lmpress permanent condition on the element.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

OTTQ N. GREDELL 

